


“Do you miss Dad?”

by ERASETHENOISES



Series: Family Issues [1]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: AU where Hanekoma is Tsugumi’s father, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Familial Comfort, Family Angst, Family Feels, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Multi, Tsugumi misses her dad, because it’s feelsy, death anniversary, made myself cry twice writing this you’ve been warned, rated T just in case, so she gotta be comforted by her mom, very angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29358819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ERASETHENOISES/pseuds/ERASETHENOISES
Summary: “Do you still… miss Dad?”Twelve years without someone you love is hard for anyone. And sometimes Tsugumi needs reassurance that her mother still cares.
Relationships: Hanekoma Sanae & Matsunae Tsugumi, Hanekoma Sanae/Original Character(s), Matsunae Tsugumi & Original Character(s)
Series: Family Issues [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2156610
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	“Do you miss Dad?”

Today marked twelve years since his death. Twelve years since Tsugumi’s dad had died, and the death had been ruled an accident. And sometimes she wondered what life would have been like if he were still around.

She’d only been around four when it happened. Her dad didn’t come home one night and people had started to worry after a few hours because it wasn’t normal behaviour from him. At around seven p.m, Ms Matsunae got a call from the local hospital. And that’s all Tsugumi ever felt like remembering, but of course the thoughts of her father’s final moments haunted her constantly.

There was one family photo she always stared at around this time of the year — one from when she was three years old. Shinjuku had gotten heavy snowfall that year, and it was her first time being able to play properly. She was wrapped up warm in one of those silly little toddler full body coats as well as mittens and a scarf alongside a hat with cat ears. Well, some things didn’t change at least.

Tsugumi chuckled at the thought. Cats had always been her favourite, huh? Well, to her it made sense, though. It was kind of her dad’s influence that gave her young self the obsession to begin with.

After all, he _was_ CAT.

Sometimes Tsugumi wondered if one of her father’s friends had picked up his work and kept it going (after all, CAT was an anonymous artist skilled in multiple art forms) after he’d died. It would make sense, considering new CAT stuff popped up constantly, even after twelve years of being dead.

It was probably one of his final requests or something, in case something happened. But still, even if that was the theory that both her and her mother had settled on, it felt strange to think that this friend hadn’t reached out to them about it. 

Tsugumi shook her head and went back to staring at the picture. It brought back so many memories of when they were an actually happy family. Of a time before everything slowly got bad.

“Tsu-chan, dinner’s ready.” Her mother peered in from the kitchen. “Come on, I made your favourite. That’ll cheer you right up.” 

She glanced over at her tiredly. Aoi Matsunae was a thin woman, with wispy blonde hair and kind, brown eyes. She stood just a head taller than Tsugumi did, but usually slouched a little and lost height when she did.

Tsugumi glanced back at the photo. “Do you still… miss Dad?”

Her mother went quiet at that. “Tsu…”

“Mom, I’m serious.” She looked up with tears welling in her eyes. “Do you still miss him?”

Aoi stood there for a few short moments in stunned silence. Tsugumi looked away. She wasn’t going to say anything. Of course she wasn’t. When did she ever say anything anymore? “You can just say you don’t…”

“Tsugumi, I—” Aoi sighed and walked over, taking a seat next to her on the old leather couch. “I do. Every day.” She hummed, and grabbed a few loose strands of her daughter’s hair to braid. “He was my husband as much as he was your father.”

“Then why don’t you act like it…?” The young girl mumbled that response, curling up a little. “I don’t understand how you’re not sad about it anymore. It’s like you don’t care at all.” She looked over at the small braid in her hair her mother had made and smiled thinly for a second.

“Some people are better at hiding it, Tsu-chan.” She hummed, pulling her daughter close. “And some people show sadness in different ways.” The woman closed her eyes and rocked the child back and forth calmly. “For example, you’re very emotional. Tears and being grumpy… I’m more subtle, I suppose.”

Tsugumi looked up, tears in her eyes. “W-what do you mean?”

“I’m still sad. But I don’t show it as obviously as you. I’m slower, quieter…” The woman sighed, and lifted her daughter’s chin. “I’m here for you, Tsu-chan… always.”

Tsugumi smiled weakly at that. “I-I know, mom…” she hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face. “I’m glad I didn’t lose you, too.”

“And you won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read my AU! It’s an idea I’ve had for a while I just didn’t know how angsty I wanted to make it. This’ll be part one of a series, I’m hoping!


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